Kayaker's Daredevil Stunt For World Record

Updated : Mar 31, 2009

A daredevil kayak enthusiast rode down a 127ft waterfall to claim a new world record in Brazil.

Pedro Olivia hit speeds of 70mph in his freefall down the Salto Belo falls into the Rio Sacre, a tributary of the Amazon. The stunt, which took just 2.9 seconds, shattered the previous world record for a descent in a kayak which stood at 108ft.

The 26-year-old Brazilian had to tour the 100ft-wide waterfall in search of the perfect boulder-free spot before attempting the descent and survived thanks to a combination of currents which have created what kayakers believe to be the softest water landing in the world.

Members of his Brazil World Record Attempt Expedition team watched anxiously as he slid over the falls, hurtled head first to the bottom and disappeared from sight into a deep pool at the bottom.

Moments later he emerged, unharmed, behind the waterfall. He was even able to right himself by grabbing onto a boulder formation. "Although people have certainly perished upon hitting a pool of water from such heights, the team counted on the massive, gushing rivers of central Brazil to produce the softest water landings on Earth," said a team member.